1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for transmitting a push notification message, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for transmitting a push notification message when a push notification server and a mobile terminal are disconnected from each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
A push notification server serves as a gateway between a third server for a push notification service and a mobile terminal, and relays a push notification message sent from the third server to a mobile terminal to which it is connected.
The push notification server is used by a developer of an application program installed in the mobile terminal to transmit the push notification message to the application program.
Conventional push servers, when transmitting the push notification message to the mobile terminal, do not guarantee that the push notification message will be received by the mobile terminal, because various network conditions may prevent the push notification message from being transmitted over a network.
The push server and the mobile terminal are connected to each other by a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection or the like, and if the connection is lost or stopped, the mobile terminal cannot receive the push notification message sent from the push notification server.
Moreover, if a push server with which the mobile terminal re-connects is not the existing push notification server, push notification messages accumulated in the existing push notification server are not transmitted.
As such, the conventional push notification service does not provide reliable message transmission, such that the mobile terminal may fail to receive a high priority message.
Moreover, in unidirectional transmission, the third server transmits the push notification message to the mobile terminal through the push notification server regardless of whether the push server and the mobile terminal are connected with each other, resulting in a substantial waste of network resources.